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After the cancellation of the first World Triathlon Para Cup of the season in Abu Dhabi earlier in the month, Ireland’s para-triathletes finally got their 2024 race season underway with the World Triathlon Para Series in Devonport, Australia.

Cassie Cava, Judith MacCombe, and Donnacha McCarthy were all in action over the weekend, on the hunt for valuable ranking points in their bids to secure a slot fo the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

The open water swim consisted of a single 750m lap, with an in water start. The 20km bike course was technical with six 3.4km laps including several 90° turns, and two 180° turns, and was followed by two flat and fast 2.5km laps of the run course. The venue also hosted the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Sprint Championships Devonport the following day.

Cassie Cava clinched gold in the PTS3 category to add to her impressive record of fourteen podium finishes from her fifteen elite international starts. The women’s PTS3 category is currently joined with the PTS4 category for the Para Triathlon event in Paris. The top 9 ranked PTS4 athletes will combine with the top 5 PTS3 ranked athletes. Cava’s win in Devonport sees her ranking climb to 13th in the PTS4 category, and the 3rd highest ranked PTS3 athlete.

Judith MacCombe and her guide, Eimear Nicholls, were also on the podium in Devonport, bringing home bronze in the Women’s PTVI race. Narrowly missing out on silver, the duo’s result in Devonport moves them up to 10th on the PTVI rankings, with the top 9 qualifying slots for Paris. Chloe MacCombe is currently ranked in 7th on the PTVI rankings, although did not compete in Devonport over the weekend.

Also in action in Devonport were Donnacha McCarthy and guide Sean Husband. The duo crossed the line in 6th position in the Men’s PTVI race, battling hard to come within seconds of the top 5. The result sees McCarthy drop from 10th to 11th in the Paralympic rankings, with the top 9 PTVI Men securing a Paralympic slot. French athlete Paul Lloveras climbs ahead of McCarthy by a narrow margin of 6 points as the two will both be looking to move ahead of Spain’s Jose Luis García Serrano before the qualification window closes.

The next opportunities for Para triathletes to challenge their Paralympic Rankings is the World Triathlon Para Cup in Yenisehir, Turkey, on the 21st of April, and the World Triathlon Para Triathlon Series race in Yokohama, on the 11th of May.

Meanwhile, attention shifts to the Americas Triathlon Cup in La Paz, Mexico, tomorrow where James Edgar and Elizabeth Carr both line up to take on the Olympic Distance race in search of more World Triathlon Ranking points.